2500k cooler and overclocking recommendations

death_looms · 28 Jun 2016 at 17:48

I've been running a 2500k stock (cooler and clocks) for a while, but I'm upgrading the graphics card and case, and I think it's time to unleash the beast as it were.

Can anyone recommend a cooler (circa £30-£40 ideally) that would be suitable for a reasonable overclock on the processor? Needs to fit inside a Fractal R5. Silence is valued over performance.

And what passes for a reasonable 24/7 overclock on these chips anyway?

Stealthploit · 28 Jun 2016 at 23:27

well for 10 pounds more u could find a water cooler would be more ideal i search around i dont want to post any links here cuz im not allowed

death_looms · 28 Jun 2016 at 23:59

I didn't mention, but I'd rather stick to air! I'm not gunning for all out performance, I'm hoping a mid range air cooler will suffice.

Laputacake · 29 Jun 2016 at 00:03

death_looms said:
I didn't mention, but I'd rather stick to air! I'm not gunning for all out performance, I'm hoping a mid range air cooler will suffice.

The enermax ETS 40 is a good choice as well as the popular 212x or the Phanteks TC12DX.

death_looms · 29 Jun 2016 at 00:13

Phanteks and CoolerMaster look good, I'll check some reviews to see if the Phanteks is worth the extra £9 and grab one of them in all likelihood.

Cheers for the suggestions.

doyll · 29 Jun 2016 at 08:04

Air is simply better than CLC.
Costs less for same cooling abilty and is also quieter, has less to go wrong and lasts much longer.

The 212 used to be a good value in low cost coolers. Now there are all kinds of cooler that do a better job for less money.

Cryorig H7 is mid-30s in price and several degrees cooler than 212.
Matterhorn Pure is about 30 quid
As is EreBoss, which many say is quite good.
Cryorig H5 is a little bigger for just over 40 quid. Very good value.

Using bigger coolers generally translates to less noise at same CPU temps. Define R5 is a great case, but the stock fans in front are marginal at best. Some think Enthoo Pro is a better choice. I have Define and Enthoo Luxe and have no complaints with either one.

death_looms · 29 Jun 2016 at 08:21

Amazingly useful info, thanks for taking the time to write it up! Better job for less money seems like a no brainer. I've got some excellent case fans already that I will be transplanting into the R5.

doyll · 29 Jun 2016 at 08:36

While what I posted is 'useful' it is hardly 'amazingly' so.

Can I assume you are going to setup case fans to cycle with component heat and fan requirements? I do a fair number of builds (6-12 a year) and 'mentor' many others. All of my builds use automatic speed control on case fans, like CPU and GPU cooler fans use. It makes for much smoother / more efficient case airflow as well as much lower noise levels when system is not working hard. To me it is only simple logic. CPU and GPU fans have been automaically controlled for years. Case fans are what supply component fans their cool air and remove their heated air. Therefor case fans functioning the same way is just simple logic. Having them run at fixed speed or on manual control makes no sense to me.

death_looms · 29 Jun 2016 at 08:53

Depends on your point of view, I want to get everything ordered today, so the right info at the right time I consider amazing

I'm planning 2xin, and I'll experiment with an exhaust fan to see if it makes enough of a difference to include. As the RX 480's (all aboard the hype train!) are all reference blowers today there won't be much gpu heat in the case, and I'll have the cpu pushing to the rear.

I've never considered automatic speed control for case fans, since I upgraded them a couple of years ago (probably more than a couple now, in fact, I'm positive it is!) they haven't really caused an issue. How do you do it? Use a board that can take the wpm signals from the cpu fan or an ambient sensor?

death_looms · 29 Jun 2016 at 08:57

Stuck a Matterhorn Pure in the basket there

doyll · 29 Jun 2016 at 10:05

death_looms said:
Depends on your point of view, I want to get everything ordered today, so the right info at the right time I consider amazing

I'm planning 2xin, and I'll experiment with an exhaust fan to see if it makes enough of a difference to include. As the RX 480's (all aboard the hype train!) are all reference blowers today there won't be much gpu heat in the case, and I'll have the cpu pushing to the rear.

I've never considered automatic speed control for case fans, since I upgraded them a couple of years ago (probably more than a couple now, in fact, I'm positive it is!) they haven't really caused an issue. How do you do it? Use a board that can take the wpm signals from the cpu fan or an ambient sensor?

Yeah, the easiest way is to use motherboard fan headers. Most newer mobos have variable voltage fan headers for case fans. I usually use PWM fans and then use a PWM splitter or hub with PSU power and PWM signal from CPU fan header because few motherboards have PWM control on anything but CPU fan header.

death_looms · 29 Jun 2016 at 12:49

Sounds like a really good idea. Don't think I'll do it now, I'll save it until the next time I need to buy *something* for the computer to avoid buying something expensive just for the sake of it.

doyll · 29 Jun 2016 at 15:57

Not sure what you mean. What would you need to buy?
If you are using variable voltage fans all you do it plug them to motherboard fan header instead of the R5's speed control switch .. maybe a fan splitter.
If using PWM fans you porbably need a simple PWM splitter something like this for a few quid. I prefer Gelid PWM splitters because the have better cable and connector management and support and are similar price.